


Three Little Kids (And Santa Claus, Too)

by thepopeisdope



Series: 12 Days of Christmas [3]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Fluff, Kid Castiel, Kid Dean Winchester, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-16
Updated: 2015-12-16
Packaged: 2018-05-07 03:14:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5441417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thepopeisdope/pseuds/thepopeisdope
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cas tags along with Dean and his family to meet Santa Claus, who makes the two of them a promise.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Three Little Kids (And Santa Claus, Too)

**Author's Note:**

> Guys. Naming fics after the 12 Days of Christmas is really hard. Don't judge me. I'm sure they'll only get worse from here on out.
> 
> Beta'd by [Arianna](http://ariwillowtwist.tumblr.com/), the greatest beta to ever beta.

Castiel bounces excitedly on the balls of his feet, eagerly craning his neck in hopes of getting a peek at The Big Guy. There are too many families in front of them in line, though, and the adults are too tall. He can’t see so much as a glimpse of a red coat through the open door of the small building labeled ‘North Pole Outpost’.

Having seen his best friend's excitement deflate even the small amount that it had, Dean starts poking Castiel on the arm, repeatedly, to try and get his attention. "What, Cas? Did you see him? Is he up there?"

Castiel turns with a pout. "I can't see," he confesses. His earlier doubts resurface, and he can't help but ask again, "Dean, are you _sure_ he's really gonna be here? Luc said..."

Dean shakes his head adamantly, and puts his hands on either side of Castiel's head to force the other boy to meet his bright green eyes. "I told you, Cas, Luc _lied_. If Gabe says that Santa's real and my mom and dad say that Santa's real, he's real. Why would they lie to us? People who love you don't _lie_ , Cas."

Castiel glances up to where Mr. and Mrs. Winchester stand in hopes of confirming his friend's claim, but Dean's parents are standing close together and talking in low, serious voices to each other. Sammy is propped against Mrs. Winchester's shoulder, fast asleep. Even though Castiel knows that either adult would give him an answer if he asked for one, Gabriel raised him to know that interrupting people when they're talking is rude. 

He looks back to Dean, who is still squishing his friend’s face in his palms. Dean is Castiel's single best friend, but this doesn't feel like an argument he can just give up. 

He's seven years old, after all, and Gabriel says that if Cas wants to be as smart as he is when he grows up, then he has to ask questions. Asking questions is one of the best ways to learn, according to Castiel's big brother. 

Even if Gabriel hadn't had any particular fondness for the questions Castiel had asked him after talking to one of his _other_ big brothers. 

Gabe and Luc don't get along very well. 

"But Dean," Castiel continues, "I've never even _seen_ him, only you and Sammy have. What if _you're_ lying?"

Dean rolls his eyes so dramatically that it reminds Castiel of Gabriel. "Cas, why would _I_ lie to you? People who love you don't lie, remember? My mom and dad told me they're best friends and they love each other, just like how we’re can be best friends that love each other, which means I won't ever lie to you."

Try as he might, Castiel can't find any flaws in Dean's logic. He still isn't quite sure about the whole situation, but he tries to nod his head within the confines of Dean's hands and say, "Okay."

Dean's responding grin is wide enough to show off the gap where his first tooth had recently fallen from. The expression is contagious, making Castiel smile as well, and within seconds their mutual happiness has devolved into uncontrollable giggles. 

"What got into you boys all of a sudden?" Mr. Winchester asks teasingly from above them, reaching out to ruffle Cas' hair. "Are you just _that_ excited to see Santa?"

"Heck yeah!" Dean responds, beaming up at his father. "We're gonna prove Luc _wrong_!"

Mr. Winchester chuckles at that. "We sure are, kiddo. What about you, Castiel? Are you excited?"

Castiel nods, but he bites his lip in hesitation. He wants to be excited, but with his Dean-inspired amusement fading, there are too many factors working to make him nervous instead. "Mr. Winchester... What if Santa can’t afford Christmas this year?”

Mr. Winchester pauses at that, glancing briefly at Mrs. Winchester before blinking down at Castiel in surprise. “Did that happen last year, Cas?”

Castiel thinks for a moment, then shakes his head. “Gabriel said that Santa had to call in some favors so he could afford it. But what if he doesn’t have more favors to call this year?”

Mr. Winchester squats down so that he is nearer to Castiel’s height, and puts a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “You know, Cas, Mrs. Winchester and I have been talking… What would you think about spending Christmas at our house this year? You can have a sleepover with Dean, and Santa can bring your presents to our place instead. Does that sound okay?”

Castiel’s eyes widen at the thought. Spending Christmas with Dean, and at Dean’s own house? It’s almost too good to be true. Excitement buzzes in his bones. “Can Gabriel come, too?”

“Of course!” Mr. Winchester says with a grin. “We wouldn’t have it any other way. We’re going to talk to your brother about it when we take you home, after we see Santa. We have to clear it with him first, alright?”

Castiel can’t hold back his own grin. “Alright, Mr. Winchester.” When Mr. Winchester stands back up and returns to speaking with Mrs. Winchester, Castiel turns to face Dean, practically bouncing in place as he does. “Dean, did you hear that?” he whispers. “I might get to spend Christmas at your house!”

Dean is just as excited as Castiel at the prospect, and even goes so far as to throw his arms around the other boy and pull him into a tight hug. “It’s going to be so much fun, Cas!” Dean enthuses when he pulls away, though his hands remain on Cas’ shoulders. “You can sleep in my room, and you can have some of my mom’s cinnamon rolls that she makes on Christmas morning, and we can open our presents together!”

Castiel nods along, smiling so wide that his cheeks are beginning to ache. He and Gabriel had fun last year on their own, but the holiday is bound to be even better with Dean at his side. Everything always is.

Before either boy can gush any more on the subject, Mr. Winchester nudges them both forward with a hand on each of their backs. The line has moved forward quite a bit in the time that they have been talking, and Castiel’s stomach flips with a mixture of fear and excitement when he sees that there’s now only one family between them and the entryway to Santa’s outpost.

Even from where he stands, Castiel can smell chocolate and peppermint. The scents tip him further away from _fear_ and closer to _excitement_.

The family in front of them is then admitted into the small building, and suddenly Castiel and the Winchesters are next.

There’s an elf standing just inside the doorway, monitoring the front of the line and allowing new families in when the previous family has left. Dean and Castiel are practically standing at her feet, but she’s too busy snapping the piece of gum in her mouth to pay either of them any attention. It’s not good behavior for an elf, Castiel thinks. But then again, if she’s working with Santa at this outpost, she can’t be _too_ bad of a helper.

Someone inside the building says something Castiel doesn’t catch, but it gets the elf’s attention. She gives what Castiel recognizes from Gabriel as a fake smile as she steps aside to let him and the Winchesters in. There are a number of other elves around the room, some by a computer and another with a camera, but they hardly interest Castiel.

Not when Santa Claus is sitting in a big red chair against the far wall. And he’s looking right at Castiel. And he’s _smiling_.

Castiel hasn’t felt this close to throwing up since the last time he and Dean ate through an entire pack of Oreos together.

Someone’s hands, either Mr. or Mrs. Winchester’s, push Castiel closer to Santa, but the words they say along with the action are lost in the ringing in Cas’ ears.

He’s real. Santa Claus is real. Really actually real.

Suddenly, Mrs. Winchester is squatting in front of Castiel and adjusting the white collar that pokes out of his blue sweater. Over her shoulder, Castiel can see Mr. Winchester making similar adjustments to Dean and a nap-rumpled Sammy. He watches them for a moment, looking for any signs of apprehension from Dean but finding none. Mrs. Winchester puts her hand to the side of his face, gently redrawing his attention.

“Alright, Castiel, this is it,” she says with a soft smile. “We’re going to take a picture of you and the boys when you sit with Santa, and we’re going to give that picture to Gabe. So make sure you smile big when we tell you to, okay?”

All Castiel can do is nod before Mrs. Winchester is ushering him to join her sons where they are already getting into position next to Santa. Sammy is situated on one of Santa’s knees, beaming up at the bearded man, and Dean is being directed by his dad to sit on a present box directly in front of them. Castiel’s own placement is a blur, and next thing he knows, he’s sitting on Santa’s other knee, his shins against Dean’s back.

It doesn’t seem real.

One of Santa’s arms is around Castiel to keep him steady, but he still feels uncertain of himself. He doesn’t think before reaching to latch a hand onto Dean’s shoulder for support, and he is more than grateful when Dean moves just enough to move his own arm and allow them to sit hand in hand.

Then someone is calling out for them to smile and a camera flashes too many times for Castiel to count. He smiles through it like he was asked, and if Mrs. Winchester’s teary grin is anything to go by, he thinks he does a good job of it.

As soon as the pictures are taken Mrs. Winchester comes over and scoops Sammy up into her arms. Castiel takes that as his sign to leave, too, but a white-gloved hand on his shoulder holds him in place.

“Hold on there, son,” Santa says with a chuckle. Castiel takes a glance at Dean, and sees that the other boy is still standing next to him. He looks back to the bearded man on his other side in time for him to continue, “I haven’t gotten to ask what it is you’d like for Christmas this year.” He looks to Dean first. “Do you have an idea, lad?”

Dean’s face scrunches up for a moment as he thinks about it, but then he lights up with a grin. “Mr. Claus, all I want is for Cas to spend Christmas with us. I want him to spend _every_ Christmas with us.”

Santa laughs and pats Dean on the shoulder. “I’ll see what I can do about that,” he says, eyes twinkling behind his half-moon glasses. His smile shifts toward Castiel. “And what about you, Cas? What do _you_ want?”

“The same,” he blurts, though he feels his face get warm with embarrassment at the look Santa gives him. “I—I mean, I want to spend Christmas with Dean, too, sir. Every Christmas would be good. That would be enough.”

Santa’s smile widens. He looks at something over Dean and Castiel’s heads for a second and winks, then refocuses in on the boys. From a bag at his side he pulls two weird-looking candy canes, neither in a straight line but perfectly shaped to thread together like a braid, two halves of a whole. He hands one to Dean and the other to Castiel, and explains in a quiet, somber voice, “Now listen boys, this is very important. I usually only give these special candy canes to people much older than you, so I need you to prove to me that you’re responsible enough to hang onto them, alright?”

In tandem, Dean and Castiel look down at the candy canes in their hands, which suddenly seem much more important than they had a moment ago. “Okay.”

Santa beams. “Wonderful. If you two want to spend all of your Christmases together, it’s important that you each keep your half of the candy cane for as long as possible. Don’t eat it, don’t break it, don’t even unwrap it. As long as you have these, you’ll know that you will always be together. All you have to do is write each other’s names on them.”

Dean and Castiel nod along in rapt understanding, and promise to keep their candy canes forever. Santa seems happy with the results, and as a pair of elves come forward to sweep the whole Winchester crew out the door of the outpost, he calls out a merry Christmas and promises to visit soon.

Mr. and Mrs. Winchester are amused by Dean’s avid retelling of their conversation with Santa and the gifts he gave them during their drive to return Castiel to his and Gabriel’s apartment, but Castiel hardly pays attention. He holds his candy cane in an iron grip the whole time, only letting up for long enough to write along its side with the fine-tip sharpie Mrs. Winchester passes to him from the front seat.

D-E-A-N              

~

The candy cane labeled “Dean” and the candy cane labeled “Cas” hang together from the Winchester family Christmas tree that year, and for many years after. And somewhere down the line, they intertwine just as they always have in a new household, resting in a place of honor between two framed photos.

The first, a photo of two dapper grooms in a snow-covered field, the landscape reflecting the perfect tranquility of a Christmas Eve wedding. The only spots of color against the men’s black suits are their matching, red-and-white striped ties, but even that is outshone by the love and adoration in each of their eyes.

And a second frame, much older than the first. A photo of two boys holding hands during their meeting with Santa.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on [tumblr!](http://thursdays-fallen-angel.tumblr.com)


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